Patient reported psychosocial functioning following successful ptosis surgery.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Plastic Surgery
• Psychology

Background:

• Ptosis can negatively impact visual function, leading to anxiety and appearance-related distress.
• While ptosis surgery benefits quality of life, research comparing pre- and post-operative outcomes is limited.
• This study aimed to assess patient-reported benefits following ptosis correction surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of ptosis surgery on health-related quality of life.
• To determine improvements in social dysfunction and anxiety levels post-surgery.
• To utilize validated measures for assessing patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Adult patients undergoing ptosis correction surgery were enrolled.
• Validated questionnaires assessed social anxiety, avoidance, general anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation pre-surgery.
• Post-surgery, these measures were repeated, along with a health-related quality of life assessment.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in appearance-related social distress (p=0.003) and anxiety (p<0.001) were observed post-surgery.
• Fear of negative evaluation also decreased significantly (p=0.024).
• No significant change in depression scores was noted, but 85% of patients reported overall well-being improvement.

Conclusions:

• Ptosis surgery offers significant psychosocial benefits, including reduced social anxiety and improved well-being.
• These psychological improvements should be considered alongside functional gains when providing ptosis surgery.
• The findings support the positive impact of ptosis correction on patients' overall quality of life.